DORSET MP Michael Tomlinson has been appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab.

The Mid-Dorset & North Poole MP's appointment comes in a critical week for Brexit negotiations, with officials reportedly looking to hammer out some kind of deal by the end of today. (Wednesday)

Mr Tomlinson, writing on Twitter on Monday, said: "I am very sorry to be leaving @Penny Mordaunt and @DFID_UK but delighted to have been appointed PPS to @DominicRaab in @DExEUgov."

He had been serving as PPS to International Development Secretary Penny Mourdant since earlier this year.

Shortly after Mr Tomlinson's tweet, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab posted "Very pleased to welcome Michael Tomlinson to the Dexeu (Department for Exiting the European Union) team" on the same social media site.

In February, this year, Mr Tomlinson, an ardent Brexiteer, was among 62 MPs to sign a letter to Prime Minister Theresa May setting out a list of demands for the next stage of Brexit talks.

Fears are growing the UK could crash out of Europe without a deal in place, with ministers told on Monday 'judgement day is coming' over Brexit this week.

If an agreement is reached , it paves the way for EU leaders to sanction the deal by the end of this month.

The UK is set to leave the European Union on March 29, 2019.

The main sticking point to a deal is the issue of the Irish border, the need to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Another problem is that the EU is demanding a level playing field when it comes to environmental standards and labour regulations during any temporary customs agreement. This is to prevent UK firms undercutting European counterparts.

A few hours after tweeting his new appointment, Mr Tomlinson tweeted: "Now in committee to ensure we are ready in case of no deal.

"These regulations include safeguards for direct debits, credit transfers, electronic money."